Two NBCC licensure exams · states counted Oct 30, 2026
NCE vs NCMHCE: which one, and when
Both are NBCC exams for a counseling license, and both give you three hours and 45 minutes of testing time. The difference is the question: the NCE asks what you know in stand-alone multiple-choice items, while the NCMHCE asks what you would do, with each question anchored in a clinical case. In 21 states you choose; elsewhere your board's rules choose for you.
Updated Oct 30, 2026 · Not affiliated with NBCC, CCE, AMFTRB, CRCC, ACA or AAMFT.
NCE questions today200
on the NCMHCE today11 cases
states that accept either21
both switch to new formsJul 1, 2027
Side by side, today's forms
Fact
1NCE
2NCMHCE
Source
Checked
Question format
Multiple choice in one unsectioned examFour answer choices (A–D) per question on the current form (NCE handbook p.14); the 2027 form uses three.
Case studies: an intake summary and two counseling sessions, each followed by multiple-choice questionsSince 2022 there are no simulations, no information-gathering sections and no negative marking; the provisional diagnosis is given in the case.
200 multiple-choice questionsFrom July 1, 2027: 170 questions with three answer options.
11 clinical case studies with 130–150 multiple-choice questionsEach case is an intake summary plus two later sessions, with 9–15 questions of four options. From July 1, 2027: 10 cases.
A raw cut score set for each exam form (modified Angoff, then equated)Raw score 0–160; NBCC says the passing score may vary slightly by form, and there is no fixed percentage. From July 1, 2027: a scaled score of 100–500 with 360 to pass on every form.
A raw cut score for each exam form, out of 100 scored points, set by an expert panel and then equatedThe cut varies slightly from form to form and is not a percentage. From July 1, 2027: a scaled score of 100–500 with 360 to pass on every form; the 2027 specifications name an Angoff standard-setting study.
$275Paid to NBCC/CCE in the Credentialing Gateway. The NBCC handbook does not print the fee; $275 is the figure state boards publish (Virginia, checked Oct 2026). Through the NCC route the exam is included in the $375 NCC application.as of Oct 30, 2026 · state board figure; NBCC does not print the fee
$275Paid to NBCC/CCE, not to the state; the NBCC handbook does not print the fee. The Virginia board lists $275; the Florida board lists $350 for a first attempt and $275 for a retake; older NBCC state forms showed other amounts, so check your board. Through the NCC or CCMHC route the exam is included in the $375 application.as of Oct 30, 2026 · Virginia board figure; Florida lists $350 for a first attempt
State counselor licensure (the entry license in most states) and the National Certified Counselor (NCC) credentialOne of the two NBCC licensure exams; the NCC accepts the NCE or the NCMHCE.
Clinical counselor licensure (LMHC, LPCC, LCPC and similar titles), the NCC and the CCMHCSome states use it for the only counseling license, others for the clinical tier after the NCE.
Professional Practice and Ethics 12% · Intake, Assessment, and Diagnosis 12% · Areas of Clinical Focus 29% · Treatment Planning 9% · Counseling Skills and Interventions 30% · Core Counseling Attributes 8%
Professional Practice and Ethics 15% · Intake, Assessment, and Diagnosis 25% · Areas of Clinical Focus (through case diagnoses) · Treatment Planning 15% · Counseling Skills and Interventions 30% · Core Counseling Attributes 15%
After a 30-day wait, with a new registration and fee; your state board sets the attempt limitNCC route: up to 3 attempts within 2 years per application, each retake with a $150 reregistration fee.
After a 30-day wait, with a new registration and fee; your state board sets the attempt limitNCC and CCMHC route: up to 3 attempts within 2 years per application. Some boards require a longer wait.
iFacts checked Oct 30, 2026 against the testing organizations; sources are listed under Source notes.
Which states take which exam
Counted from our 51 state cards, each built from the board's own page and cross-checked with NBCC's directory on Oct 30, 2026:
Free choice in 21 states. Ohio joined this group on January 1, 2026, when it stopped requiring the NCMHCE for its clinical license. North Carolina also accepts the rehabilitation counselor exam.
NCE first, NCMHCE for the clinical tier, 11 states. The table below lists them; Illinois asks for the case exam only on one route to the LCPC, the other being the CRC exam.
NCMHCE only, 8 states, including California (for the LPCC), Florida and New York.
NCE only, 8 states, among them Colorado, Maryland and New Jersey.
Outliers: Pennsylvania accepts the NCE or the rehabilitation counselor exam, not the NCMHCE; West Virginia names both exams; the DC rule is still unverified.
iTable checked Oct 30, 2026 against each state board; confirm the current rule with your board before you register. The 11 two-step states, plus West Virginia, which names both exams.
Pass rates: what is published
Not much, and nothing that compares the two exams fairly.
NCE: NBCC publishes none.
NCMHCE: none from NBCC either. The Florida figure comes from that board's 2024 report; it mixes first and repeat attempts and covers one state in one year, so it is not a national rate.
Prep sites that print a national rate for either exam are not quoting NBCC. Passing works the same way on both today: a raw cut set for each form, not a fixed percentage. How each works: NCE passing score, NCMHCE passing score.
From July 1, 2027, the two get closer
What changes for the choice is small. From July 1, 2027 both run on one shared outline and pass at the same scaled 360, so the pass mark reads the same on both. The NCE gets shorter, 170 questions, and the case exam keeps its format with 10 cases: the gap between knowledge items and cases stays. Details: the 2027 NCE form, the 2027 NCMHCE form.
Bottom line
1NCE
Choose NCE if…
your state licenses on it alone, or lets you choose and recall suits you better than cases;
you are in a two-step state, where it comes first and the case exam follows for the clinical license;
you want the exam closest to the eight CACREP areas you studied.
Before a new counseling group begins, the leader meets individually with each prospective member. What is the PRIMARY purpose of this meeting?
Pregroup screening selects members whose needs and goals fit the group and who will neither impede it nor be harmed by it, as ASGW standards and ACA A.9.a describe.
Working on a member's core issue happens in the group itself or in individual counseling; the screening interview is about selection and preparation.
Member roles emerge from group interaction over time; leaders do not assign them before the first session.
Billing paperwork may happen at intake, but it is not why leaders meet individually with prospective members before a group starts.
Apps for both NBCC exams
1NCE app
NCE practice questions with every answer explained, in a study app.
No published data settles it: NBCC releases no national pass rate for either exam. They test different skills, recall across eight areas against clinical judgment inside a case, so the harder one is the one that plays to your weaker skill.
Can one exam count for the NCC?
Yes, as the exam requirement: NBCC accepts a passing score on either exam for the NCC (National Certified Counselor), and on the NCMHCE for the CCMHC. Each credential adds its own degree, coursework and experience rules; for the CCMHC, unlike the NCC, the 3,000 hours of postgraduate clinical work and 100 hours of supervision are not waived for CACREP graduates.
Do I get my score the same day?
Yes, unofficially, at the end of both exams. The official result reaches your board afterward, on each exam's own schedule: NCE exam facts, NCMHCE exam facts.
Should I take both if my state accepts either?
Only if you plan to move to a state that requires the other one, or want the CCMHC. A board that accepts either licenses you on one passing score.